~ The Bible

Monthly Archives: January 2012

Here is an outline of chapters 6-10 with comments. For background information on the church in Corinth and the full outline, see here.

5:1-6:20 Disorders in Corinth

5:1-13 Association with Immoral Members

6:1-8 Lawsuits in Pagan Courts: Paul continues his discussion of issues in Corinth. Christians should settle their differences themselves. We do not know what sort of lawsuits Paul is writing about.

6:9-20 Glorify God in Your Bodies: Corinth, as a port city, had a reputation as a morally lax town.

v 9-11 this is a traditional type “catalog” of vices. The terms “male prostitutes” and “sodomites” refers to a particular form of pederasty.

v12-20 These verses conclude the argument of 5:1-6:11 and also introduces the argument of 7:1-40. Paul quotes slogans or well known statements and gives his interpretation of how Christian ought to act and how Christians ought to regard their bodies.

7:1-14:40, 16 Discussion of questions from the Corinthians

The phrase “now concerning” will appear several more times and indicates where Paul is answering particular questions from the Corinthian community.

7:1-16 Sex and Marriage: notice Paul’s emphasis on equal obligation. In a patriarchal society where the status of men and women was unequal, this is a notable statement.

v25-40 Paul’s preference for singleness is apparent, but one can live a Christian life as either a married or single person.

8:1-11:1 Rights and Responsibilities of the Ekklesia

8:1-13 Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols: For Christians in the Greco-Roman world avoiding meat sacrificed to idols is not just a religious problem but was also a social problem. Meat that had been sacrificed to idols was sold publicly and thus found at family celebrations, club and association gatherings and public festivals. Jews could buy their own special meat but for Christians who were not Jews avoiding sacrificed meats was extremely difficult. In addition, for poor people, because meat was expensive, the only way they could ever eat meat was at public feasts.

9:1-27 Paul’s Apostolic Rights and Self- Limitation: Paul uses himself as an example for the Corinthians to follow as one who has renounced his rights and power freely to serve others and most importantly God.

10:1-13 Warning against Overconfidence:The structure of this section: a list of God’s saving actions, a list of sins and then a warning to the listeners is a traditional one found in other places in the Bible ( for example, Deut 32. Hebrews, Jude 5) and in other Jewish literature.

10:14-22 Examples, Implications: avoid pagan cultic meals and events. Participating in such events establishes a particular community and allegiance, which Christians must avoid. Christians are in their own relationship with Christ. The pagan world did not worry about religious allegiances and relationships in this way.

10:23-11:1 Freedom and Our Responsibility: In v23 Paul quotes maxims and then provides a maxim of his own (v24).

A prayer from Origen (c. 185 – c. 254) an early church father from Alexandria, for your use as you read 1 Thessalonians.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. Amen.

1:1-3 Greeting: By now you are becoming familiar with the way Paul’s letters typically open. For more about Sosthenes see Acts 18:17.

1:4-9 Thanksgiving: Paul touches here on some of the major topics to which he will return latter in this letter.

1:10-4: 21 Baptized into Christ: The Power and Wisdom of God

1:10-17 The Problem

1:18-2:16 Discourse on Divine Wisdom

1:18-2:5 The Wisdom of God , the Wisdom of the World : Notice how Paul in the previous verses, while encouraging unity, foolishness and weakness also manages to carefully support his claim to have apostolic authority.

2:6-16 Wisdom for the Mature : Paul contrasts the wisdom prized by the world- eloquence and what one is taught to the wisdom of God, hidden, received in relationship with the Spirit.

3:1-23 Rhetorical Proofs : In this section Paul gives proofs for his argument in 1:10- 4:21

v1-4 introduction: This connects back to what Paul has just discussed Spiritual wisdom with the Corinthian problem of divisions, jealousy and strife.

v5-9 Paul and Apollos: working in a common field

v10-17 Community: Building a common building

v18-23 summation: wisdom, unity found in Christ. Notice how Paul brings all that he has discussed so far into these few verses.

V7 contains three rhetorical questions which are followed by three ironic statements in v8a.

v10-13 an apostle’s life is the ironic opposite of the previous verses. Paul exaggerates here to make his point.

v14 – 21 Paul changes his tone and shifts his argument. All apostles are servants of Christ but Paul is the father of the Corinthian church and worthy of imitation. In the ancient world, imitation of father figures was a common and expected practice.

5:1-6:20 Disorders in Corinth

5:1-13 Association with Immoral Members:

v 1-5 Both Jewish and Roman Law forbade such a marriage. One wonders why the Corinthians allowed this relationship to continue in the church. One commentator suggests that the answer might reside in two Jewish beliefs. First was the idea that converts are like newborns, ( see 2 Cor 5:17 where Paul refers to believers as “new creations”.). Similarly there was the belief that a convert’s previous social relationships no longer existed. So, in theory at least, the rules of incest and marriage no longer apply. However, the Rabbis only applied this rule with respect to pagan laws. Perhaps the Corinthians reasoned that in their new life as Christians the old pagan rules no longer applied.

v 6-8 Paul corrects that thinking, by stating that this situation is a remnant of old behavior which must be removed. (v7 and 8 allude to the practice of removing all leaven from a house before the Passover feast. )

v 9 Suggests that the Corinthians misunderstood Paul in an earlier letter. The admonition to avoid the sexually immoral did not mean to avoid the immoral in the non Christian world, but rather with the Christian community.

A prayer from Origen (c. 185 – c. 254) an early church father from Alexandria, for your use as you read 1 Thessalonians.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. Amen.

Corinth was a port city and the capital of Achaia. Corinth, like many port cities, had a reputation for sexual immorality. It had a large transient population which brought a variety of trades and religious beliefs to the city. Rituals and clubs became important ways for people in Corinth to achieve social stability. Clubs functioned to give their members social standing by their participation in the clubs rituals and events. Often these club activities involved some level of participation in pagan rituals and activities.

Paul established the church in Corinth (1 Cor 4:15, Acts 18:1-18) Members were both Jews and Gentiles of mixed social backgrounds. Status and social standing were important in the Roman Empire and the church in Corinth had difficulty shedding the normal expectations associated with social status and wealth. Being one of the elite and having power were desirable accomplishments in the ancient world. In the Roman world it was very important to know where one was in the social hierarchy. The Corinthian church struggled to live in a pluralistic world which valued honor and social status. How does one live as Christian in a society that challenges one’s beliefs? How does a church shed societies norms within its life as the body of Christ?

The difficulties in the church in Corinth appear to be a result of over enthusiasm. They were excited by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Spirits powers that had been given to them. The result was a kind of spiritual elitism which led to the development of factions. Also they were confused about what Christian maturity and perfection involved, particularly in this life.

We have in the New Testament two letters from Paul to the church at Corinth. Scholar believe Paul wrote five ( or perhaps more) letters to Corinth. There may have been two letters written before 1 Corinthians. When we read 1 Corinthians we are entering in the midst of a discussion.

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul responds to concerns about his credibility as an authoritative apostle and gives counsel about moral behavior and community practices which have become a source of contention within the church.We are unsure if Paul visited Corinth in between writing the letters. That visit, if it occurred, may be the “painful” visit of 2 Cor 2:1. In response to his “painful” visit, Paul may have written the “letter in tears”. Most scholars think 1st Corinthians was written about 54 AD.

1 CORINTHIANS

1:1-9 Opening: God’s Calling

1:1-3 Greeting

1:4-9 Thanksgiving

1:10-4: 21 Baptized into Christ: The Power and Wisdom of God

1:10-17 The Problem

1:18-2:16 Discourse on Divine Wisdom

1:18-2:5 The Wisdom of God , the Wisdom of the World

2:6-16 Wisdom for the Mature

3:1-23 Rhetorical Proofs

v1-4 introduction

v5-9 Paul and Apollos

v10-17 Community

v18-23 summation

4:1-21 Paul’s Authority

5:1-6:20 Disorders in Corinth

5:1-13 Association with Immoral Members

6:1-8 Lawsuits in Pagan Courts

6:9-20 Glorify God in Your Bodies

7:1-14:40, 16 Discussion of questions from the Corinthians

7:1-16 Sex and Marriage

7:17-40 Eschatology and Changes in Social and Marital Status

8:1-11:1 Rights and Responsibilities of the Ekklesia

8:1-13 Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols

9:1-27 Paul’s Apostolic Rights and Self- Limitation

10:1-13 Warning against Overconfidence

10:14-22 Examples, Implications

10:23-11:1 Freedom and Our Responsibility

11:2-14:40 Problems in Community Life and Worship

11:2-16 Women, Propriety in Dress at Public Prayer

11:17-34 Abuses at the Lord’s Supper

12:1-31 The Gifts of the Spirit

13:1-14:1a Love

14:1b-40 Spiritual Gifts: Prophecy and Speaking in Tongues

15:1-58 The Resurrection

15:1-11 The Gospel of Christ’s death and Resurrection

15:12-34 The Significance for us

15:35-58 The Nature of the Resurrection

16:1-24 Final Messages

Some scholars believe that 2 Corinthians is made up of edited parts of several letters written at various times. Other scholars disagree and think 2 Corinthians is one letter. No matter which is correct, Paul’s relationship with Corinth is in trouble and the letter or letters are an attempt by Paul at reconciliation.

A prayer from Origen (c. 185 – c. 254) an early church father from Alexandria, for your use as you read 1 Thessalonians.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. Amen.

In the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians in verses 1-10 he offers practical advice to his readers. Verses 11-18 are the conclusion of the letter. ( For more about the letter to the Galatians, see our previous post.)

Letter to the Philippians

Philippi was a city in Macedonia, on a main east-west road and was, in spite of its location in Macedonia, heavily influenced by Rome.

The church at Philipi was the first European church established by Paul. Acts 16:11-40 tells the story. Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison but because he was imprisoned several times, scholars are unsure which imprisonment Paul is referring to. This letter may have been written anytime from the late 50s to early 60s. Paul’s location when he wrote it is uncertain.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians has a much friendlier tone than his letter to the Galatians. Scholars think this suggests that Paul had a close relationship with the church in Philppi.

Friendship was an important concept in the Greco-Roman world. Luke Timothy Johnson writes;

…[I]t is necessary to remember how the topic of friendship fascinated Greek moralists, finding distillation in a series of proverbs universally used and endlessly expounded. Friendship could be defined simply as fellowship (koinonia). Everyone agreed that ‘friends hold all things in common [tois philois panta koina].” Such sharing included both material and spiritual goods. Friendship was a form of equality (isotes). So close was the spiritual unity between friends that a friend was “another self.” Friends were one soul (mia psyche), sharing a common frame of mind (to auto phronein). Friendship language employed many compound words using the prefix “with” (syn-), since fellowship always involved some sort of “life together.” The proverbs are so well known that they are reversible. To speak of being one soul or holding all in common automatically implied as well equality, friendship, and fellowship.

It is important for us to keep this full and rich understanding of friendship in mind when we read this letter. In Greek, Paul’s emphasis on friendship is more easily appreciated. He uses “fellowship” four times (1:5, 2:1, 3:10 and 4:15). But he uses the “syn” prefix 15 times in this short letter. Paul’s friendship language makes his references to disharmony( 1:15, 2:14, 4:2-3) within the community more striking.

For Christians, fellowship was not based on similar interests or shared benefits as in Hellenistic clubs or benevolent associations. Neither was friendship based on philosophical ideas. Christian fellowship is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit received through the hearing of the “good news”. The Philippians have struggled together and they have given financial support to Paul. Paul writes to encourage the Philippians in their life together. Their unity in fellowship calls them to a humble concern for each other. Service, humility, the common good, friendship, and concern for each other are part of the churches’ life. The most important example of this way of life is Jesus. But Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus are also examples for the Philippians.

1:1-11 Opening

1:1-2 Salutation

1:3-11 Thanksgiving. “I give thanks to my God…”

1:12-4:20 Body

1:12-26 Paul’s situation: imprisoned yet the Gospel proclaimed

1:27- 2:18 The Philippians situation

2:19-3:1a Visits to Philippi by Timothy and Epaphroditus

3:1b-4:1 Warning and exhortation

4:2-9 Specific appeals

4:10-20 Thanks for the Philippians’ gift

4:21-23 Closing

4:21-22 Greetings

4:23 final prayer

Note: Verses 2:6-11 are considered to be a very early hymn and gives us insight into the early church’s understanding of Christ. Christ’s death and resurrection are interpreted in terms of humiliation and exaltation and becoming slave and being made master.

A prayer from Origen (c. 185 – c. 254) an early church father from Alexandria, for your use as you read 1 Thessalonians.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. Amen.

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Paul’s letter to the Galatians was probably written about 55 AD, although there is some uncertainty about this. Paul was not writing to a particular church but to a group of churches. Some think these churches were in northern Asia Minor but others believe the letter is to churches in southern Galatia. The Roman Empire reorganized regions and renamed places which causes uncertainty about specifically to whom Paul was writing. Unfortunately Acts does not help us figure this out.

Scholars do think that the churches in Galatia, whoever they were, were mostly made up of gentile (pagan) converts. In this letter, Paul deals with the question of whether gentiles must be circumcised and follow Torah in order to be Christian. It appears that in the churches in Galatia, some people were teaching that Gentile Christians must also become Jewish ( be circumcised and follow the Law) in addition to having faith in Jesus Christ. Paul disagrees strenuously.

It seems that Paul’s credentials as an apostle have been questioned by some in Galatia. In addition Paul’s teaching of the gospel- faith in Christ alone- has been challenged as inadequate. Paul responds by describing his personal experience and the personal experiences of the Spirit by the Galatian Christians. Then Paul reinterprets Torah based on faith in Jesus Christ. Torah is both set aside and fulfilled by Christ. A Christian’s identity is found, not in the practices of Torah but in Jesus Christ.

The Letter to the Galatians is an important letter and it is a difficult letter. It is emotional and polemical and at the same time passionate and eloquent about God’s grace toward humanity.

We hope the following outline will be useful as you read and think about this letter.

1:1-10 Introduction to the Letter

1:1-5 Salutation

1:6-10 The problem in Galatia. Note that Paul skips his usual expression of Thanksgiving.

2:11-14 At Antioch, confrontation with Cephas (Peter) over his inconsistency

2:15-21 These verses may be a continuation of Paul’s statement to Cephas or they may be read as the beginning of Paul’s message to the Galatians.

3:1-4:31 Paul’s argument: Justification by Faith

3:1-5 Paul appeals to the Galatian’s experience

3:6-18 Appeals to Scripture

3:19-29 Law and Faith, Unity in baptism

4:1-11 Slavery and Adoption

4:12-20 Paul’s personal appeal

4:21-4:31 A final argument, The allegory of Hagar and Sarah

5:1-6:10 Final admonition and instruction

5:1-12 Freedom and the slavery of circumcision

5:13-26 Freedom and the discipline of the Spirit

6:1-10 Practical instructions

6:11-18 Conclusion

A prayer from Origen (c.185-c.254) an early church father from Alexandria, for your use as you read.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also not be just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. Amen

Thessalonika was the Roman capital of Macedonia. It was one of the most important trading centers in Roman Greece. The church in Thessaloniki was founded by Paul (Acts 17:1-10) and consisted, mostly, of gentile converts. This letter was probably written in the early 50s from Corinth. Scholars believe this is the earliest letter of Paul and the earliest New Testament text we have.The letter follows the common pattern of Paul’s letters :

Greeting 1:1

Thanksgiving 1:2-10

Letter body 2:1-3:13

2:1-16 Paul’s ministry
2:17- 3:13 Paul’s affection for the church

Exhortations 4:1-5:24

4:1-12 Holiness and Purity

4:13-5:11 The coming of the Lord

5:12-22 Concluding exhortation on community life

Final blessing and greetings 5:23-28

Paul is writing to encourage the church. As a community of Gentile converts, their beliefs made the Thessalonian Christians distinct from the society around them. In the Roman Empire there was essentially no separation of religion and political or social practices. The early Christians tried to avoid practices that they believed compromised their faith but this avoidance placed them at odds with societies expectations. There were pressures, occasionally including persecution, on members to return to their former way of life.

A few comments about particular verses:

1:6 Paul encourages the Thessalonians to imitate him. To our ears this sounds odd at best and arrogant as worst. In the ancient world, imitation was a normal way of moral education.

2:13-16 Some scholars think this section was a later addition by a disciple of Paul. No matter who wrote it, it is important to not misread and misuse this passage (and similar passages), as has tragically been done in the past. Remember the Paul was himself a Jew. When the phrase “the Jews” is used, Paul is not referring to all Jews but rather to the Jewish rulers and elite who were in a position to persecute the early church.

4:13-5:11 A major portion of the letter is written in answer to questions the Thessalonians had about the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. Some were perplexed by the death of Christians before Christ’s return and wondered if those who had already died would be excluded from the resurrection. Paul’s answer uses apocalyptic images to assure the Thessalonians that all believers will be part of the resurrection.

The Greek word parousia had two meanings in Paul’s time. First it meant the “mysterious presence of a god or divinity”. The word was also used when an emperor or high ranking official visited their subjects.

“Paul and the early church are making two claims by using this word; first that Jesus the Messiah who is now present in spirit will be someday present in body as well and the whole world will know this powerful presence. They also want to say that Jesus is the true Lord of the world. Similarly to the way Caesar visits a colony “(the normally absent but ruling emperor appearing and ruling in person), so the absent but ruling Lord of the world would one day appear and rule in person within this world.”

Paul uses this Roman imagery in conjunction with Jewish apocalyptic language. (As we read Paul’s letters you will notice Paul mixes metaphors quite handily. See 1 Thess 5:2-9 for example) Paul’s readers are supposed to recall two Old Testament stories. When Israel encounters God at Mount Sinai there is a thick cloud, a trumpet blast and thunder. In Daniel 7, the “one like a human being” comes “with the clouds of heaven” and is given a “an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed. (7:14).

“[Paul puts] these two stories together, in a typically outrageous mix of metaphors…When the emperor visited a colony or province, the citizens of the country would go to meet him at some distance from the city. It would be disrespectful to have him actually arrive at the gates as though his subjects couldn’t be bothered to greet him properly. When they met him, they wouldn’t then stay out in the open country; they would escort him royally into the city itself. When Paul speaks of “meeting” the Lord “in the air”, the point is precisely not- as in the popular rapture theology- that the saved believers would then stay up in the air somewhere, away from earth. The point is that, having gone out to meet their returning Lord, they will escort him royally into his domain, that is, back to the place they have come from. Even when we realize that this is highly charged metaphor, not literal description, the meaning is the same as in the parallel in Philippians 3:20. Being citizens of heaven, as the Philippians know, doesn’t mean that one is expecting to go back to the mother city but rather means that one is expecting the emperor to come from the mother city to give the colony its full dignity, to rescue it if need be, to subdue local enemies and put everything to rights.”

Quotes from: Chapter 8, “When He Appears” in Surprised by Hope:Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, N. T. Wright, Harper One, 2008.

A prayer from Origen (c. 185 – c. 254) an early church father from Alexandria, for your use as you read 1 Thessalonians.

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts. Amen.

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This post is an extremely brief introduction to reading the letters of the New Testament. There is much that could be written about this subject. Our goal today is to offer some basic information to aid your reading.

Organization
In the New Testament letters are sorted into two groups, letters historically attributed to Paul and letters by others (John and Peter, sometimes called the catholic epistles or letters). The letters attributed to Paul are arranged first as letters addressed to churches (longest to shortest) and then letters addressed to individuals (again longest to shortest). The Letter to the Hebrews, whose authorship is unknown, is located between the letters of Paul and the catholic letters.

Letters in the Roman World
Sometimes the letter writer wrote their letter, sometimes they dictated their letter to a scribe. Dictation could be word for word, but sometimes the ideas and content were dictated and the scribe chose the words used. The literacy rate in the first century AD was between 10-15% and because of the low literacy rate, letters were written to be read out loud. The people of the early church lived in an oral culture and were used to listening.

Scholars tell us there were many styles of letter writing in the ancient world. People were familiar with the different styles and expected letters to adhere to letter writing conventions. It was a culture that valued letters and the art of letter writing. But this didn’t mean it was simple or easy to send and receive letters.
There was no postal service for private letters. Letters were sent by couriers (Rom 16:1; 1 Cor 16:10; 1 Peter 5:17). As you can imagine, in the first century travel was hazardous and seasonal. Illness, accidents, bandits, bad weather and just plain bad luck all affected the delivery of letters. Scholars think that couriers were sometimes more than simply delivery agents. Couriers may also have had information to share with the recipients that was not contained in the letter (Eph 6:21-22; Col 4:7-9).

In the New Testament
The letters we have in the New Testament are one side of a conversation. We don’t know with documented certainty what questions, concerns or situations Paul ( or Peter or John) were responding to in their letters. Scholars have well- researched ideas that are a great help in our understanding of the letters, but we do not have the letter or conversation that caused Paul, Peter or John to write.

We do know the letter writers were writing to particular congregations and individuals about particular issues and concerns. The original purpose of these letters are pastoral. The letters of the New Testament are not exercises in systematic theology removed from the actual situations of real people. They are written to particular congregations and individuals about particular concerns or situations.
Paul’s letters are carefully crafted and he uses different styles and rhetorical practices in different letters. His letters do have a common structure that is consistent with ancient letter writing conventions.
Opening: Here we find the name of the sender(s), the name of the recipients, a greeting and (with one exception) a prayer of thanksgiving for the recipients.

Closing: There is variety in how Paul closes his letters. There are greetings to and from friends, a benediction, sometimes a prayer, and there are final admonitions and instructions.

Body: Here there is much variety. Often “brothers and sisters” opens the body of the letter, along with a statement such as “I want you to know…” or “ We do not want you to be unaware…” or I appeal to you…” . Often at the end of the body is a moral exhortation to the reader. Sometimes these are lists of vices or virtues or a series of maxims.

A word (or two) about authorship

There are some letters attributed to Paul, that scholars believe with great certainty were written by Paul. There are other letters whose authorship is less certain but historically have been attributed to Paul. Today, we consider it bad form (even illegal) to write something and attribute it to someone else. Sometimes documents were written to deceive, but not necessarily. In ancient times followers of teacher might write something in the tradition of the teacher and attribute it to the teacher. This was a way to honor the teacher and acknowledge the teacher’s influence.

Reading Tip

Because the letters of the New Testament were meant to be read aloud, reading them aloud can greatly help our understanding and appreciation of them. Don’t be afraid to give it a try.

Read More About It:

Cousar, Charles B.; “Introduction to Books in the Form of Letters” ; HarperCollins Bible Commentary, James L. Mays, ed., The Society of Biblical Literature, HarperSanFrancisco, 2000.